The Keystone XL oil pipeline won't have to use American steel in its construction, contradicting a call by President Donald Trump that it must.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Friday that's due to language in a presidential directive Trump issued in January. The directive applies to new pipelines or those under repair. Sanders said it would be hard to do an about-face on Keystone because it's already under construction and the steel has been acquired.